PHR Chat Transcript: 03/04/21
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Snapshots: Bennett, Niemela, Ovechkin
Sam Bennett is expected to be a healthy scratch again tonight for the Calgary Flames, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Bennett, whose agent made it clear that a change of scenery would be welcome earlier this season, has been on quite the roller coaster. Suiting up on the fourth line one game, the first line beside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau another, to finding himself in the press box watching, there has been very little consistency to his 22 games.
Still, there’s just not enough offensive production from Bennett no matter where he is plugged in. With just three goals and four points on the year, he is once again disappointing the Flames, who have now waited nearly seven years for Bennett to fulfill his fourth-overall status. His best offensive season was his rookie year when he scored 18 goals and 36 points.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t have Topi Niemela in the system next season, as the young defenseman has signed a one-year extension with his Finnish club for the 2021-22 season. Niemela, 18, was the 64th pick in the 2020 draft but has already seen his stock rise after being named the best defenseman at the recent World Junior tournament. He has recorded four points in 15 games for Karpat this season and will stay overseas for at least another year.
- Trent Frederic might not be so quick to get in Alex Ovechkin‘s face the next time they meet, after a spearing incident last night. Ovechkin has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for “cup-checking” Frederic after the two had several meetings throughout the game. Frederic, who fought Tom Wilson earlier this season, had challenged Ovechkin earlier in the game, but the veteran spurned the offer. The young Bruins forward has shown a willingness to engage anyone in the league but still hasn’t added much offense—just two goals and three NHL points—since being selected with the 29th pick in 2016.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/04/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day.
West Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have sent Daniel Brickley and Markus Phillips back to the AHL, while recalling Rasmus Kupari to the taxi squad. Kupari, 20, has dominated at the minor league level so far this season, scoring nine points in his first eight games. The 2018 first-round pick is still waiting on his first NHL appearance.
- Logan Thompson, the AHL’s Goaltender of the Month for February, is nevertheless still a ways away from challenging for an NHL spot in Vegas. After a brief recall, the Golden Knights have reassigned Thompson to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Braydon Coburn from the taxi squad ahead of their game tonight against the Flames. Coburn, 36, played just under 17 minutes the last time these two teams met.
- Winnipeg is looking to get some of their top forward prospects more play time. The Jets announced that Kristian Vesalainen and David Gustafsson have been reassigned from the taxi squad to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Heading the other way is fellow forward Joona Luoto.
- Marc Michaelis will make his NHL debut on Thursday after the Vancouver Canucks announced that he had been activated from the Season-Opening Injured Reserve and placed in the lineup. Rookie defenseman Olli Juolevi has been reassigned to the taxi squad to make room for the forward Michaelis.
Central Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Mathias Brome and Evgeny Svechnikov from the taxi squad, suggesting the Svechnikov-Svechnikov battle is finally going to happen. Evgeny and his brother Andrei Svechnikov from the Carolina Hurricanes will do battle tonight.
- The Dallas Stars continue to shuffle their forward depth, this time returning Ty Dellandrea to the taxi squad and recalling Joel Kiviranta and Tanner Kero. The team hopes to find the right combination up front to get back on track with this season.
- Things are changing in Nashville. With Ryan Johansen activated from COVID Protocol and Juuse Saros headed to the injured reserve, the Predators have taken this time to make a flurry of additional changes as well. The team announced that defenseman Ben Harpur and goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo have been promoted from the taxi squad to the active roster while forward Brad Richardson has been activated from the IR to the roster. Heading down to the taxi squad is defenseman Alexandre Carrier. Joining Carrier on the squad is a trio of recalls from the minors. Forward Rem Pitlick and defenseman Jeremy Davies have been recalled from temporary AHL affiliate Chicago, while goalie Devin Cooley has been recalled from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Meanwhile, forward Tanner Jeannot has been reassigned to the AHL’s Wolves from the taxi squad. Anything else Nashville?
East Division
- The New York Rangers have recalled Patrick Newell from the minor leagues and added him to their taxi squad, while sending the recently-signed Mason Geertsen back down. Geertsen signed an NHL deal and had to clear waivers, but never spent any time with the big club.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins will go back to the well on Thursday night, filling out their lineup once again with the help of forwards Josh Currie and Anthony Angello. The pair have been promoted from the taxi squad.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Three Players Clear Waivers
March 4: All three players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.
March 3: The waiver wire is busy again today, with three players up for grabs. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Dominik Simon (Calgary Flames), Valtteri Filppula (Detroit Red Wings), and Mason Geertsen (New York Rangers) have all been placed on waivers today.
Geertsen’s presence on the list means that he has signed a new NHL contract with the Rangers, since he had previously been on an AHL deal with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He last had an NHL deal during the 2018-19 season but has never actually made it to the highest level. A fourth-round pick of the Colorado avalanche in 2013, he has spent several years in the minor leagues racking up penalty minutes, never afraid to drop his gloves to defend a teammate. This year he has 11 PIM and one point in four games for Hartford.
Filppula is the latest veteran Detroit has passed through waivers, following Danny DeKeyser and Frans Nielsen earlier in the year. The 36-year-old forward has registered just five points in 20 games and is nearing the end of what has actually been quite a successful career. A third-round pick by Detroit back in 2002, Filpulla has 520 points in 1,038 career games. He took home the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008 and has been an excellent playoff performer, racking up 86 points in 166 postseason games.
Waivers then might actually increase Filppula’s trade value, considering he’s on an expiring contract. If a team wanted to add some more experience for a playoff run, but didn’t have an immediate spot in the lineup, the ability to move Filppula to the taxi squad would come in handy.
Simon, 26, hasn’t been a perfect fit in Calgary this season, failing to record a point in his nine appearances. The depth forward was supposed to add a little scoring punch at the bottom of the lineup after recording 50 points over the last two seasons, but that hasn’t happened. Still, for the league minimum of $700K and Simon’s RFA rights, perhaps a team will take a swing and bring him in on waivers. If not, he’ll likely be another candidate to rotate through the taxi squad in Calgary, helping them bank cap space.
Joachim Blichfeld To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do today, as San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld will have a hearing to determine supplementary discipline after his high hit on Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon.
The incident occurred in the third period of last night’s game, as MacKinnon was trying to dump the puck into the Sharks zone. Blichfeld approaches from behind and clips the head of the Colorado star, starting an immediate scrum between the two teams.
Since he’s having a hearing, Blichfeld should expect a suspension for the hit, meaning he’ll miss at least one game for the Sharks. The 22-year-old winger is only barely starting his NHL career but will already have a history with the DoPS. He received a match penalty on the play.
Charlie Coyle Added To COVID Protocol
After the list had already come out for today, Charlie Coyle of the Boston Bruins was added to the COVID Protocol. The veteran forward will not play tonight for the Bruins.
To be clear, inclusion on the CPRA list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Coyle’s appearance in the protocol does not mean he will be out for any length of time other than tonight’s game, or that there has been any spread throughout the Bruins locker room. Still, it’s concerning at least for tonight, just over an hour before the opening faceoff between the Bruins and Washington Capitals.
Boston will have to go without Coyle, who had been playing well of late and has eight points in 19 games this season. The 29-year-old forward scored two goals in his last game and is an important part of the Bruins’ secondary scoring. The versatile forward has lined up at both center and the wing, while seeing time on both the powerplay and penalty kill.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/03/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Though the league is still waiting on a report from the Ducks and Kings, here is the rest of today’s list:
Anaheim – TBA
Boston – Charlie Coyle*
Los Angeles – TBA
Nashville – Ryan Johansen
Pittsburgh – Sidney Crosby
San Jose – Tomas Hertl
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: None
No players have been added to the list today, an especially good sign given Crosby and Penguins assistant coach Todd Reirden were forced to miss last night’s game. Though the Pittsburgh superstar remains out, no one else has joined him on the sidelines. The Penguins are back in action tomorrow and Saturday against the Flyers; it is unclear if Crosby will be removed from the list and able to play in either of those games.
(Coyle was added to the list after it was originally published)
*denotes new addition
Jason Zucker Out “Longer-Term”
Mar 3: Zucker has been placed on long-term injured reserve by the Penguins, retroactive to February 23. He will need to miss at least ten games and 24 days.
Feb 25: The Pittsburgh Penguins are dealing with another substantial injury, as head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters this morning that Jason Zucker would be out “longer-term” with a lower-body injury. The veteran forward fell awkwardly into the boards after clipping skates with Washington Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen and stayed down in obvious pain.
Zucker, 29, hasn’t played quite up to his standards this season, but still had seven points in his first 17 games before suffering the injury. His absence leaves a gaping hole in the Penguins lineup, one that isn’t the easiest to fix. Sure, Pittsburgh has other talented forwards, but the team’s depth was already being tested as names like Mark Jankowski, Sam Lafferty, and Colton Sceviour failed to provide much scoring punch.
Luckily, the team is expected to get Jared McCann back before too long. While Sullivan said he will not play tonight, he was a full-contact participant in practice and should be back in the lineup soon.
If Zucker is out long-term, it also may give the Penguins some cap flexibility to make an addition. The team is already in LTIR with some of their other injuries, and Zucker can be added to that group whenever necessary.
Zach Parise To Be Scratched By Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild will not have one of the cornerstones of their franchise in the lineup on Wednesday night, as according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Zach Parise will be made a healthy scratch. This will be the first time Parise has been a healthy scratch since signing a 13-year, $98MM contract to join the Wild in 2012.
The Wild have recalled Gerald Mayhew and Kyle Rau from the taxi squad, as Ryan Hartman is also expected to miss the game with an injury, but the big news here is Parise. Now 36, the star forward has racked up 801 points in a 1,034-game NHL career, including nine this season in 19 games. Russo connects the scratch to the end of Monday’s game, where Parise was on the ice for more than a minute and a half. The Vegas Golden Knights ended up tying the game with Parise on the ice, then winning in overtime.
Parise hasn’t been as effective this season but has long been one of the most marketable players in Minnesota, racking up points and goals on the regular. He’ll be 37 this summer though, and new GM Bill Guerin will have to make some tough decisions. There are still four years remaining on that contract and though it includes a full no-movement clause, Parise actually waived it last year to potentially go to the New York Islanders and rejoin Lou Lamoriello, the executive who drafted him with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
It’s not at all clear if Parise will be dealt at some point this season, given how difficult it is to trade a contract like his, but there’s an obvious change coming in Minnesota. The team is rejuvenated with a new star at the forefront in Kirill Kaprizov, and they sit in a playoff spot today in the West Division. A scratch may be a one-time thing, but a quick look at Parise’s ice time numbers this season shows a player that is slowly being phased out. After averaging at least 17 minutes a night in every season since his rookie year, he’s well under that mark now and played just 12:42 in a game against the Los Angeles Kings last week.
Parise and teammate Ryan Suter signed identical contracts in that summer of 2012, ones that would not be allowed under today’s CBA. The 13-year deals are so heavily front-loaded that the last three years see just $4MM in total salary paid out. Those numbers mean that Minnesota would be on the hook for recapture penalties if Parise retires early, something that potentially could be out of their hands if he is traded to another team. It does mean however that anyone acquiring him wouldn’t be shelling out the $7.54MM that his cap hit indicates. After this season, just $10MM remains to be paid to the veteran forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Penguins, Waite, Fines
The Pittsburgh Penguins are under new leadership, so no one has a clear idea of how they will operate at the upcoming trade deadline. Still, Josh Yohe of The Athletic did his best to create a “most-likely-to-leave” list, ranking the Penguins players and evaluating their future with the organization. While Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin remain in their own categories because of the legacy attachment to the franchise, some other rankings could raise some eyebrows.
Specifically, Yohe sees a potential trade coming for Marcus Pettersson, given the team’s left-handed depth and the young defenseman’s contract situation. Pettersson, 24, signed a five-year extension worth more than $20MM in the middle of last season, before the team brought in Mike Matheson (and his hefty contract). With John Marino‘s new contract kicking in next season the Penguins have quite a bit of capital tied up on defense, which could lead to someone having to be moved out.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced last night that Stephane Waite, the team’s goaltending coach, had been relieved of his duties and Sean Burke would take over as director of goaltending. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin confirmed to reporters including Arpon Basu of The Athletic that Waite was fired during the second period of last night’s game and the decision was not based on anything that happened recently, but a “pattern” that he had noticed. Burke was already under contract with the team through the end of the season and has not been given an extension at this time.
- Nino Niederreiter has been fined $5,000 for his goaltender interference on Juuse Saros last night, the maximum allowable under the CBA. Niederreiter collided with Saros behind the net, making some contact with his head, and the goaltender left the game with an injury. The Carolina Hurricanes forward will avoid suspension, though this incident will be considered during any future supplementary discipline.